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Obama Invokes MLK Repeatedly in Holy Land, Drawing Parallel Between Mideast Conflict and African American Struggle

Mar. 22, 2013 10:38am Sharona Schwartz

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., left, speaks in New York, Oct. 16, 1965, and President Obama, Dec. 3, 2012, at the National Defense University in Washington.
(Michael Ochs Archives/Alex Wong/Getty Images)(Graphic from: ABC News)

President Barack Obama visited the Jerusalem grave of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin Friday morning to pay tribute to the leader slain by an Israeli extremist who opposed his move to cede parts of the biblical land of Israel to the Palestinians.

In line with Jewish tradition, Obama placed a stone on Rabin’s grave, but that act had a greater significance.

The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg tweeted that Obama had brought the stone with him from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington.

The stone placed on Rabin’s grave by President Obama came from the MLK memorial in Washington.

March 22, 2013 3:39am via Twitter for iPhone ReplyRetweetFavorite

@JeffreyGoldberg

Jeffrey Goldberg

This was not the first time on the trip that Obama used the slain civil rights leader to draw parallels with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

TheBlaze reviewed the transcripts of Obama’s speeches posted on the White House website as of Thursday night and found references both to Dr. King and to social justice. At the state dinner hosted by Israeli President Shimon Peres, Obama said (emphasis added by TheBlaze):

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel was born in Poland and lost his mother and sisters to the Nazis. He came to America. He raised his voice for social justice. He marched with Martin Luther King. And he spoke of the State of Israel in words that could well describe the struggle for equality in America. “Our very existence is a witness that man must live toward redemption,” he said, and “that history is not always made by man alone.”

Rabbi Joachim Prinz was born in Germany, expelled by the Nazis and found refuge in America, and he built support for the new State of Israel. And on that August day in 1963, he joined Dr. King at the March on Washington.

At his speech to students in Jerusalem earlier on Thursday, Obama said:

Of course, even as we draw strength from the story of God’s will and His gift of freedom expressed on Passover, we also know that here on Earth we must bear our responsibilities in an imperfect world. That means accepting our measure of sacrifice and struggle, just like previous generations. It means us working through generation after generation on behalf of that ideal of freedom.

As Dr. Martin Luther King said on the day before he was killed, “I may not get there with you. But I want you to know that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.” (Applause.) So just as Joshua carried on after Moses, the work goes on for all of you, the Joshua Generation, for justice and dignity; for opportunity and freedom.

While Obama didn’t raise Martin Luther King, Jr.’s name during his press conferences with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Politico Correspondent Josh Gerstein noticed that Obama repeatedly used American race metaphors and the struggles of African Americans to draw comparisons with the Mideast conflict. He writes:

One of the parallels the president drew—comparing the plight of Palestinians to that of blacks in the U.S.—has drawn criticism in the past when he raised it in this region.

During a press conference with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Obama said young people he’d met on the trip made him think of his own children.

Obama said:

Whenever I meet these young people, whether they’re Palestinian or Israeli, I’m reminded of my own daughters, and I know what hopes and aspirations I have for them. And those of us in the United States understand that change takes time but it is also possible, because there was a time when my daughters could not expect to have the same opportunities in their own country as somebody else’s daughters.

What’s true in the United States can be true here as well.

Gerstein points out that those comments “which invoked life under Jim Crow in the U.S. or perhaps even under slavery—seemed to give support to Palestinian narratives that describe Arabs and Palestinians as second-class citizens in Israel.”

But later, during his address to the Israeli people, Obama emphasized African Americans’ shared history of slavery with Jews.

To African Americans, the story of the Exodus was perhaps the central story, the most powerful image about emerging from the grip of bondage to reach for liberty and human dignity — a tale that was carried from slavery through the Civil Rights Movement into today.

For generations, this promise helped people weather poverty and persecution, while holding on to the hope that a better day was on the horizon. For me, personally, growing up in far-flung parts of the world and without firm roots, the story spoke to a yearning within every human being for a home. (Applause.)

Then during the State Dinner speech, he said:

As I said in my speech earlier today, this story — from slavery to salvation, of overcoming even the most overwhelming odds — is a message that’s inspired the world. And that includes Jewish Americans but also African Americans, who have so often had to deal with their own challenges, but with whom you have stood shoulder to shoulder.

African Americans and Jewish Americans marched together at Selma and Montgomery, with rabbis carrying the Torah as they walked. They boarded buses for freedom rides together. They bled together.

In this 1967 clip, Dr. King. voiced strong support for the security of Israel, then only two decades old. He said, “The whole world must see that Israel must exist and has the right to exist, and is one of the great outposts of democracy in the world.”

He is also quoted as having said: “Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality.”

And this: “When people criticize Zionists they mean Jews, you are talking anti-Semitism.”

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Comments (55)

HI_Don
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 12:47pm
There is the truth of the whole visit purpose. He did not go to Israel to show he supports them because he doesn’t. A shameful act considering America’s “official” stance and what he pretends to the media to support. No, he went to Israel to embolden their enemies. He invokes MLK to tell the Palestinians they are the oppressed peoples, that he stands with them. That Palestine is just like Canada is to the U.S., all the while he knows or should know that it is the goal of all of Israel’s neighbors to live to see the day every Israeli is not only without a country, but DEAD, exterminated, a second Holocaust. And even though he arranges a pro-Palestine, anti Israel crowd for his “coded” speech, he still draws a heckler in Arabic that claims he is too pro Israel. If congress and our media had ANY integrity at all they would already be politically frying Obama over what he is doing. He disses their Prime Minister for 5 years, he clearly shows him disdain when he at last goes to Israel (just look at the body language) he snubs anyone wanting to attend his events who is pro Israel, he purposefully arranges radicals to be there, and his speech itself is insulting. They should have thrown him out of the country for the disrespect he showed. All the time he lies and pretends. I am ashamed of our president. I thought he couldn’t go lower, but this is a whole new level of low. Many people will die because of his actions in Israel.

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- AbrahamsSheepdog
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 1:12pm
  More blood about to spill because of this Satanic President. He is lower than the bowels of Hell.
  
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- Mulder1
  Posted on March 23, 2013 at 4:57pm
  Obama, like most liberal blacks, believes that the Jews in Israel are to the Muslims, as the whites in the South were to the blacks protesting for equality in the USA. He is not on the side of the Jews in Israel.
  
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blackfeather
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 12:22pm
would they rather live back in africa? I didn’t think so.

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SamIamTwo
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 12:17pm
Man, Obama is one messed up person…race issue is not the same as the long term religious persecution of Jews. But that is what was beat into his thin skinned skull.

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- hjablo
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 7:39pm
  Here is the huge question – knowing Barry’s attitude about Israel and Arabs, why did over 60% of Jewish voters, vote for him?.
  
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repairsea
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 12:10pm
MLK was a man for all men, a Republican, and against Socialism.
The democrats are still against civil rights and are out for themselves.

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- MAProg
  Posted on March 23, 2013 at 3:18am
  MLK was against socialism? You can not possibly be that ill-informed. Come to think of it, yeah, you can be.
  
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ANGIE11
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 12:04pm
Obama is trying to incite an ISRAELI SPRING. This man is STUPID. He will say one thing today and something completely opposite tomorrow. He thinks that what comes out of his mouth is gospel. He REALLY thinks he is the Messiah. He thinks that what he says, is believed by all. Fifty percent of American Citizens know Obama is a buffoon. Let us see his college records. The left touts him as BRILLIANT with no evidence of his brilliance. He has been dressed up and groomed to look good, sound good and read a good teleprompter. He is a left wing clown controlled by leaders of the left.

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mxpctlk
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:53am
O is beyond disgusting. He’s the antithesis of everything that is or was ever great about America and an embarrasment to the Nation.

HUGE difference between MLK and arabs-who-call-themselves-”palestinians.”

MLK was a religious man of peace. Palestinians are violent liars and murderers committed to the destruction of Israel, the murder of every Jew and the murder, conversion or enslavement of every non-muslim.

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- AbrahamsSheepdog
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 1:16pm
  True! He is pure evil in media glitter. Americas Grim Reaper.
  
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rosegrower
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:50am
Obama’s comparisons between the so-called Palestinian’s demands for a separate state and the struggle for genuine equality during the civil rights era is not only incredibly bogus, it’s insulting to Israelis. Arabs in Israel have all of the rights accorded to any Israeli citizen – there are “Palestinians” in the Knesset, for goodness’ sake! Blacks didn’t have the right to vote or to obtain the same quality of education in the Democrat-controlled southern states. Israeli Arabs were also discriminated against by their own Arabic brothers – they were put into squalid refugee camps after the 1967 war in Jordan, Egypt and Syria, and were never allowed to assimilate into the larger Arabic culture. They returned to live in Israel because they were treated better – pure and simple.

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pragmaticpatriot
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:48am
Using the same inverse logic as Glorious Leader a wall should be built around Detroit to stop the spread of Liberal Blight. The only parallel between the two groups is self inflicted stupidity, poverty and misery from the insane act of electing leaders who tell them they are victims of Jews and America when its really their own people causing the pain.

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motionman
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:38am
Obummer incites the remarks of civil rights radical and the Jews honor this socialist,Marxist, Communist with highest honor of Israel???

Despicable

We know here know what time it is for the Jews to do

go fly one!……

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Mike Benton
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:16am
MLK was able to change the situation because Americans were open to it. The Islamists are not and may never be open to change.

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Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:14am
“And those of us in the United States understand that change takes time but it is also possible, because there was a time when my daughters could not expect to have the same opportunities in their own country as somebody else’s daughters.”
====================================
I can ABSOTIVELY, POSILUTELY, guarantee that Zero’s daughters will get MORE opportunities than most American’s daughters today or tomorrow. Is he living in the past? The choomer, who received, and is still receiving, a pass based on his skin color, all his life, so far?

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Cavallo
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:10am
Both Bobo and MLK won Nobel Peace Prizes.. only one of them murdered children with robots.

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tbeachhead
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:05am
It must be a terrible thing to see everything as a Hatfield and McCoy struggle of unforgiven abuse from generations past, projected unto perpetual recall only to stir up rebellion, animosity and frustration today.

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RaydocX
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:04am
Does our President have ZERO comprehension of the ongoing attacks against innocent Israelis by the Palestinian terrorists?

To my recollection of history, that was not the history of the Civil Rights movement… MLK championed peaceful protest.

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- woodyee
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:16am
  No Raydock – he understands perfectly. He has WRITTEN that when push comes to shove, he will stand by his “muslim brothers”
  
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- Dougral Supports Israel
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:22am
  He knows, but since he wants to fundamentally transform the entire world he has to revise things a bit. He conflates King’s demands for equal opportunity with the demands of the black radicals of the 60′s for a socialist transformation of our society. He equates Americans who used their constitutional freedoms to demand change to a bunch of rock-throwing barbarian Palestinians whose dearest desire is to destroy Israel.
  
  Its an absurd position but it’s one held by many left-wingers.
  
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- subic
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 12:04pm
  Obama’s just trying to stir up trouble.
  
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Xanderson
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:01am
President Obama simply reads the words that his “mentors’” speechwriters load onto the royal teleprompter. He neither believes nor understands any of the lines he so earnestly delivers to his “chosen” as in hand-picked audiences. If he did, he would never be able to keep a straight face.

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- brother_ed
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:19am
  @XANDERSON
  
  Actually, he was ‘chosen’ for a reason.
  
  He is more than simply a ‘pawn’ in the game.
  
  Without a strong conviction that what he is doing is right, he would not be able to pull it off.
  
  The problem is, most of the media refuse to recognize him for what he is, and continue to believe the line that he is ‘post-partisan, post-racial and interested only in peace…if only the mean old conservatives would get out of the way.’
  
  He has said repeatedly what his world view is (fairness & change) and yet they refuse to ask him what that means exactly , or how he expects to achieve that goal.
  
  Emotions are his weapons, ignorance is his ally, and deception is his tactic.
  
  I can only pray the masses recognize this soon. Of course, the hour is growing late.
  
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- Xanderson
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:42am
  Brother_Ed–may I join you in your prayer? I agree with your post whole-heartedly, I just have never given him the intellectual credit to craft his own remarks, let alone thoughts. The way he communicates in rare off the cuff moments fail to impress me as intelligent!
  
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- brother_ed
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:54am
  @XANDERSON
  
  But he’s the ‘smartest guy in the room!’ (wink, wink)
  
  He does have handlers, that is very true.
  
  It is often in his ‘off-teleprompter’ and ‘open mike’ remarks that the real Obama is exposed, but they are quickly sanitized.
  
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- marmond
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 12:14pm
  Obama is the equivalent of Charlie McCarthy, an empty shell that was manipulated by Edgar Bergen. We just have to identify who it is that is manipulating Obama and putting the words into his empty shell.
  
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IMCHRISTIAN
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 10:54am
MLK would be so ashamed of our president. He wants to be a god to all people but it isn’t going to work as words, meanings and truth means a lot and as smart as he thinks he is he is not showing a love for America or a heart for what America has done in bringing for freedom, liberty and justice for all.

Those that love and not hate, tell truth and not lies, joy, caring and all other good traits will win in the long run. God Bless America

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- Gonzo
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:23am
  What makes you think MLK wouldn’t approve of a communist in the White House?
  
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HigherRoad
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 10:53am
Clearly Martin Luther King recognized Israel’s right to exist and live in the land God gave them. Obama, as usual, is trying to twist facts to fit his own political agenda. Obama is not concerned about the well being of Israel. He is there to make political points with the Palestinians and Muslims.

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- woodyee
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:14am
  Yep. Looks like Bebe got his hopes up too high. The betrayal of Israel, which I think started with Bush 41, is pretty thorough, and Bebe will be left knowing that it’s all up to him.
  
  He better hit Iran soon, before Obammy’s Islamist allies succeed in Syria. The worst thing to happen to Israel was to allow themselves to be coerced into taking a more tolerant approach towards the palestinian roaches and restraint with Hezbollah in Lebanon. As a result, both have grown pretty powerful. Egypt has been up-armored by Obama, and could use a war to help quench current civil unrest.
  
  She MUST assume that an attack on Iran will be answered by Egypt, Hezbollah and the roaches and be prepared to deal with them QUICKLY; she has little choice – nObama is a treacherous demon, and a nuclear armed Iran means a nuclear launch on Israel.
  
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woodyee
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 10:53am
I wish Dr. King would get up from his grave and confront the man that continually takes his quotes and uses them out of context to advance himself, much like the Irrelevant Jackass Jackson and his rightfully imprisoned spawn have done.

We think Obammy was born in 1961, which means that, unlike many of us who heard and saw the Rev. in action, Obammy was just a snot-nosed rice-propelled yard rat somewhere in Indonesia about the time the Dr. was assassinated.

We KNOW Dr. King, and Obammy is NO Dr. King.

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- ChrisLRob
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:49am
  MLK: “I have a dream! I have a dream that one day, Woodyee–who knows me personally–will one day call the first black president of the United States a snot-nosed rice-propelled yard rat! I have a dream!”
  
  LOL! I love it here! In the past election, many real Americans used sites just like this one to show the real heart of the right-wing. But Blaze’s layout is FAR better than Free Republic’s! Keep ‘em coming!
  
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- woodyee
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 12:41pm
  Did I call the President a rice-propelled yard rat, or did i call a 5yr-old Obama a rice-propelled yard rat? You’re another illiterate fool.
  
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- chips1
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 5:18pm
  WOODYEE:
  Your only complaint is about the size of the rat?
  
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- MAProg
  Posted on March 23, 2013 at 3:21am
  Pretty sure if King were to rise from the grave over someone appropriating him out of context, it would be over Glenn Beck’s comparisons of King with himself.
  
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s_usa_n
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 10:53am
Obama, the Great deciever. He uses the names of great people that he has nothing in common with to hide his intentions and evil works. This man has no soul, no conscience, he is not fit to lick the boots of MLK.

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Gonzo
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 10:49am
Make it all about you Barry, no matter what it is.

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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 10:47am
The insanity of Obama is manifesting itself more and more with each passing day; he is allied with the side of darkness and will not stop until the world is consumed in chaos and death.

Invoking the name and image of MLK, a man of peace, by Obama is more proof of his insanity; there is a war coming soon, and it will be with Radical Islam and it will be the fault of Obama. How much blood will be on his hands? How many millions will be condemned to death for his insanity?

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moreteaplease
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 10:47am
I couldn’t finish reading this article. My stomach was starting to turn.

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SpankDaMonkey
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 10:46am
.
I would hope the former HNIC would march against the current HNIC…….

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RightUnite
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 10:45am
This coming from the Oreo…….Pppffftttt!

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Bonnieblue2A
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 10:45am
Ironically it was the Kenyan Obama tribal lines which can be traced back to the Arab-African slave trade in the capture and sale of other Africans.

Once again this self-proclaimed “world citizen” show he is clueless on the world stage and really did listen for 20 yrs. to Rev. Wright’s preaching of racist black liberation theology.

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- Popp40
  Posted on March 22, 2013 at 11:01am
  Yea you won’t find that in any history book! The liberals/progressives will make sure of that.
  
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